Perlstein, William J.

William Perlstein is a partner in the firm's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice Group, and a former co-managing partner of the firm. He joined the firm in 1975, is a past head of the firm's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Group, and became one of the firm's managing partners in 1998, serving in that role until the end of 2011. His practice includes representation of creditors’ committees, bank groups, debtors, trustees and claims acquirers in bankruptcy and workout cases around the country. Mr. Perlstein also appears frequently on programs addressing law firm management issues.

Practice

Mr. Perlstein’s practice has included significant roles in numerous bankruptcy and workout cases throughout the United States, including EPIC Associates, AM International, AOV Industries, LTV Corporation, General Development Corporation, SpectraVision, Lomas Financial, the Orange County bankruptcy, Iridium Corporation, PSINet and Nortel. Many of his matters have concerned cases in which there is significant governmental involvement, drawing on the firm's expertise in governmental and regulatory affairs.

Mr. Perlstein has had significant roles in the drafting of bankruptcy and bank receivership legislation, including Bankruptcy Code amendments affecting repurchase and swap agreements. He has testified before committees of both houses of Congress and presented a paper on bank insolvencies before the Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development in Paris. He has also spoken on law firm management issues before the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Recent Highlights

Mr. Perlstein's recent experience includes:

• Serving as counsel to the debtors in the PSINet and Iridium Chapter 11 proceedings
• Representing Verizon in connection with its agreement with NextWave and NextWave’s dispute with the federal government regarding spectrum licenses
• Representation of a major financial institution on foreclosure and bankruptcy practices relating to the recent foreclosure crisis
• Representation of one of the bidders for the patent portfolio in the Nortel bankruptcy

Professional Activities

Mr. Perlstein is a Fellow and Counsel to the American College of Bankruptcy, a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, a member of the American Law Institute, a member of the American Bar Association Business Bankruptcy Committee, where he is past chair of the Subcommittee on Legislation, and a member of INSOL. He appears frequently on continuing legal education panels, including several that have addressed issues arising in technology and communications industry bankruptcies. He also regularly speaks on panels concerning law firm management issues in New York, Washington, San Francisco and in Europe. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Legal Services Program in DC, on the DC Bar Leadership Development Committee, and is a member of the Union College President's Council.

Honors and Awards

• Recognized as a Visionary in the Legal Times' "Greatest Washington Lawyers in the Past 30 Years"
• Ranked as a Washington DC leader in the area of bankruptcy and restructuring in each edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2005
• Recognized as a leading practitioner of bankruptcy and commercial law in the Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, 6th Edition
• Consistently selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, in the areas of bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights, and has been named the 2012 Best Lawyers' "Washington DC Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year"
• Recognized as a leader in insolvency law in Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2007 and 2011 
• Listed in Washingtonian magazine's "Top Lawyers" in Washington DC, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011